Holy Shrine in Mashhad...

Hi,
Yes even if you are like Iranian, still be obvious to most people - by dress, gestures, etc.
But you can try your chance. No bag, camera, charger, etc is allowed, so go there without any stuff for less contact. And still if they understand at least you can see the yard by an escort but not inside the shrine.
Emam Reza’s sister’s shrine is in Qom and their two other brother have shrines in Shiraz and around Rasht/Masouleh. But still the same problem for non Muslims.
I am a guide and once we tried to enter in Shiraz, saying the Italian tourists are Muslim but they didn’t accept!
I live in north of Iran near Rasht, if you are around, contact me and I can show you inside the Emam Reza’s brother shrine. They are the same structure and decoration but just the size is smaller here. I got the permission to show the non Muslims!
“Every rule has its exception”
Have good time,
Hassan.

Thanks guys!
I think i won't go to Mashhad....cause if i can't get in the holy shrine, i'll be so dissapointed. I won't take the risk.

I visited the shrine: people also told me I look iranian so I took a chance. I went without any bags, long sleeves, dark colors. The entrance to to the mosque is guarded, that's where you are searched. There were many people, so the guards searched very briefly and didn't ask any question. If at this point the guards notice you are not muslim, you will be escorted to the foreign visitor center. The entrance to the shrine itself is not guarded so it's easy enough to get into the Gowar Shad courtyard. I didn't enter the shrine itself, as it was so crowded. After that I went to the visitor center, where I was shown an immensely boring 20mn documentary about the shrine. The religious student chatted for a while then let me go, giving me a map of the mosque and making me promise not to enter the shrine itself. Basically, for the non muslim visitor, there is only a small museum to be visited, exhibiting very fine artpieces, including the silver cages used to protect the tomb.

I was not that much impressed by Mashhad, so I can understand that you would not go all the way there, but around the town are some excellent daytrips, such as Ribat-e Sheraf, a wonderful caravanserail on the road to Serakhs.

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<hr>I think i won't go to Mashhad....cause if i can't get in the holy shrine, i'll be so dissapointed. I won't take the risk.<hr></blockquote>

Mashad is a long way from anywhere you're likely to want to visit, and the city itself has little of interest other than the shrine. However, the shrine is wonderful, and as #4 said, as a non-muslim (if you are identified as such) you can visit most of the complex apart from the tomb itself. The latter is of interest more from a sociological/theological point of view - there's nothing of real artistic or archaeological value that you won't be allowed to see. So, really, it's up to you - I definitely thought Mashad was worth the trip but much depends on your interests.

Hola Pancho !

SOy colombiano y estuve en el sagrado mausoleo de Qom. Entré como si nada como en todas las otras mezquitas de Iran sin ningun problema.
Espero que en Mashad sea igual.
Vistete como un irani con pantalones largos y una camisa y disfruta del ambiente mistico de ese mausoleo.

Buen viaje !

Jorge

Well, of course the main thing is the long trip, you know........anyway, I still have some days to decide......because in the other hand I have many spare days in my trip, so even if I can't make it inside the shrine, it could be worth it, visiting places around.
Thanks to all...and I'll let you know how was it.
Gracias Jorge.

For sure go there if you are interested. It is beautiful! And the bazaar in Mashad is also worth it. A lot of non-pious people go into the shrine. I am one of them. At that time my Farsi was also very poor, coming from the US. Iranians can tell I'm a foreign Iranian. Still, no one asked me anything. For the women there is a modesty supervisor of sorts walking around reminding women to not show any hair. I saw the officer indicate to an obviously European tourist to pull her chador forward (everyone wears the chador there). That tourist had no guide, and I could tell she was not Moslem since had no idea how to use Islamic cover, like me. Once you get to Iran you will see how Western everyone is and how many foreign Iranians come to visit... then you feel comfortable pretending to be Iranian or of Islamic heritage going in.

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<hr>you will see how Western everyone is <hr></blockquote>

Indeed you will not.

I went to Mashhad and the shrine two weeks ago. I am also 'white' (funny, MalibuStacy, to see you use the term), Scandinavian, bright skinned, whatever. I got rid of my bags (there are locker rooms to the right on the outside wall as you look at the entrance) and put on a chador before I got near the entrance, but I was there with my boy friend (husband, if anyone asked) who wore a quite relaxed traveller's outfit, and we may have revealed not having been there before just by the way we looked around at the gate. So, we were asked if we were muslim, and said no. And as mentioned above, we were also provided with a guide, who took us through the courtyards, and to the mosque, but not inside the very shrine itself. You'll get frisked eather way, I guess. I wasn't asked anything during the frisk.

We might have been able to make it through the gate no questions asked if we had been aware of how it all works there, and if we'd been more keen on going all the way. The place was beautiful (and huge), but I don't we would have gone to Mashhad just for that. We were passing through on our way to Herat.

Anyway, if you decide to go:

- We took the night train from Tehran, which was quite comfy, although a couple of hours late.
- The city is okay for strolls, kebabs, and all those funny little local shops. But get a khimar (sewn-together dark scarf covering hear and neck to the shoulders completely) for walking around, the place is quite conservative (I agree with MalibuStacy: I wouldn't exactly call this place Western) and a common head scarf simply gives you too many stern looks from women.

- One very positive thing: We stayed at Vali's homestay. Great guy, very good at English, offering cheap beds (not exactly soft, but for a couple of nights you'll be okay - and he said he'd put on the heat from now on for the winter), good company, good help with everything (eg, his wife lent me the chador and he got os bus tickets for Herat), and excellent food! Highly recommendable. He can also take you on an afternoon trip to one or two villages, if you want to see something other than the shrine. We didn't go, and he didn't mind (for a second there, I was afraid that her was too much of a hazzler, but he wasn't after all - not at all).

Here's his info:

Vali
bahar st. englabeslami 6 (masdjed al reza lane)
between charahe lashkar and charrah ostandary
house no.277
tel. 0511 8516980
mobile. 09151001324
vali32@imamreza.net